and i'm a teacher! which means effective this week, i'm supposed to be off work and on disability pay. and i won't be going back in the fall.

i just got the blood work back yesterday and it took a LOOOONG time to sink in. like at first i was like, oh, that's interesting... then i was like, oh, hmm, i think i told work i thought i was immune (i was just guessing since no one brought it up last time i was pregnant)... then i was like, does this mean i shouldn't be at work? and then finally after talking to someone at the CSST (who thought i should go immediately to an ER to get a doctor to fill this "removal from the workplace" form out), i realized the full impact of the news.

so. yeah. there are 10 days of school left and i really really don't want to leave right now. my kids are all in the middle of projects, and i want to go to grade 6 grad, and it's just kind of sad and yucky to just leave. but i know as soon as i tell my boss they're going to expect me to go home. they're all very protective and cautious of me right now as it is. not coming back in the fall is just as well... i was only coming back because i couldn't afford not to, but with disability it's possible, and it's better for the kids and the school if my replacement gets to start at the beginning of the new school year instead of in November.

other weird things to mull over in my head. i will be out of work until next august. we have full time daycare which we like, and it's partially subsidized, so affordable, but i could possibly enroll tzipi in a preschool for the year (better qualified teachers, more engaging program, shorter hours) instead. realistically i could take her out altogether and just SAH with her for the year. it would save us a big chunk of money. but then i'm planning to go back to work next august, so she and new baby need full time daycare then, so maybe it's dumb to think of taking her out?

i'm still in shock, i think. i was really expecting to have to slog through the fall until i hit 40 weeks (or went into labor), and now i'm looking at this totally different set of possibilities.

wow I've never heard of that drastic a reaction to fifths. I know our school nurse sends out warnings whenever a kid is diagnosed with it, and pregnant women have to be extra careful, but wow. Does one of your students have fifths? Or your doctor just wants an "avoid at all costs" approach?

no i haven't either. we had two pregnant women at school this year and neither left early. but then again, over half the population is immune in adulthood, so i might be more of an anomaly than i realize? my sister knows someone who lost a baby to fifths, so she thinks i should leave immediately. i think i'm going to wait and hear what my school has to say on monday.

also, congrats to me for apparently writing the most boring thread in ppk history!

The issue here is that the beginnings of fifth disease may not be apparent - the virus is most contagious before the rash appears, when the only symptoms are fever, headache, and runny nose. Some people do not get the rash at all.

The consequences of prenatal infection are potentially devastating, and there is not good treatment for parvovirus infection during pregnancy, so I can certainly understand the very conservative recommendation. Of course, what to do is ultimately your choice. The risk does appear to be highest during the first trimester. Here is some info from the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/parvovirusB19/pregnancy.html

That's suprising if nobody there has it. I don't recall being tested for that when pregnant and I work in a children's hospital.

In a hospital, infectious disease control precautions can protect you. You can't exactly gown, glove, and wear a mask in a classroom. Also, there are likely other staff that can care for kids with suspected parvovirus. But, most kids with parvovirus do not end up in the hospital anyway.

it appears that different places have different systems. in ontario it seemed like there was no preventative leave unless there was a case reported at the school. in quebec, i could have gone on preventative leave from the very beginning, even before getting the results of my test. according to the head of admin at my school, some coworkers have left right away, some people got the results later and left then, some people weren't immune and decided to stay anyway, and some were already immune. it was agreed by everyone that i talked to at the school that it was way better for me to leave and not risk exposure... i'm not sure if the people who didn't leave felt like they had other reasons to stay.

my admin lady was seriously quite appalled that THREE care providers saw me while pregnant, knew my workplace and medical history and did not tell me about fifth's and recommend preventative leave... i actually mentioned it to the midwife when she was writing up my scrip for the blood panel and then she requested the test.

chiveggie, i'd recommend proactively asking for the test and about preventative leave measures in your area when you see a doctor. for me, i felt the actual risk was fairly minimal, but the disability compensation i'm eligible for makes it pretty stupid to stay at work just for the sake of staying. also, given my previous history of preterm birth, my midwife was very happy that i had basically a reason to leave work early and take it very easy for the next few months.